Float.



. B. 0. TILDEN.

FLOAT. APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 27, 1908."

966,720. PatentedAug. 9, 1910.

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FLOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed February 27, 1908.Serial No. 418,025.

PatentedAug. 9, 1910.

To all whom 'it may concern:

l 3e it known .that I, BERT O. TILDEN, a citizen of the-United States,residing in New vYork, borough of Manhattan, in the county I of New Yorkand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Floats, of which the following is a specification.

The present improvement relates to floats, and has for an object toprovide an air tight hollow nnperforate clay float, particularly such asis adapted for use with'water tanks,

such for instance as water closet tanks, and

one which may be supported forv rotary motion on its support.

A further obj ect of the invention is to provide an improved support forsuch ball or float whereby the same may be revolved when coming incontact with the side of the tank to decrease the frictional resistanceoccasioned thereby.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a perspective view of a practicable embodiment of a form ofmy improved float and its supporting means attached in position. Fig. 2is a view of the supporting means detached; and Fig. 3 is an axial crosssectional view of the float with its supporting means attached.

Heretofore it has been impossible .to produce an imperforate hollowvitrified clay body. My float is a hollow vitrified impervious clay bodywithout any openings whatsoever through its walls.

Various attempts have been made to produce a water tight hollow floatand a support for the same so that the float could rotate upon thesupport. Particularly in water closet tanks it is desirable that thefloat be permitted to rotate upon its support as it rises and falls soas to remove friction and thereby prevent bending of the parts or thedestruction of the float. None of these previous devices in practiceproved to be water tight.

In the present illustration the float shown at 2 is a molded vitrifiedclay body, hollow,

and without openings through its walls. The float illustrated is made upof two halves, 3 and 4, which are molded from suitable ceramic material,and after having been thoroughly dried and joined together are firedafter the manner of firing for producing vitrified china. The two halvesare joined together by the use of a suitable intermediate strip of clayplaced upon or between the meetlng edges and the said meeting edgesforced together upon this inter mediate strip. If the entirecircumference of the meeting edges were covered with this intermediatestrip of clay and the two halves forced together such intermediate stripwould be forced outward by the compression within the body. The strip ofclay will ordinarily be laid upon the edge of one of the halves and aninterruption or opening made in it by some suitable device, as forinstance a piece of wire. The two halves are then brought together inproper relative positions and are forced together. As they are beingforced together the'air which otherwise would be compressed escapesthrough this opening, and at the time the meeting edges are about intheir final positions the outgoing air and the force of the comingtogether of the edges will close up the place where the opening was, andby the time the body is ready to be put into the kiln there will be noopening or perforation whatsoever throughout the entire walls. The floatresulting from the baking or firing will be a hollow, imperforate,impervious, vitrified body.

For the securement of the supporting device in a manner to permitrotation of the float the float is usually provided at its opposite sidewith recesses 5 and 6 formed therein during the molding of the halves.These recesses are for the reception of the support. The support in thepresent in stance comprises a rod 7 having its end terminating in aresilient float supporting portion shown herein as substantiallyU-shaped, as at 9, and preferably conforming to the shape of the float.The rod in the formation of this U-shaped or supporting portion of thefloat is bent backwardly upon itself, as at 8, and has its free oropposite end bent inward, as at 10, thereby forming a pair of pointmembers or projections adapted to enter the recesses 5 and 6 in thewalls of the float to support the same. Attachment of the float to thesupport will be readily attained by springing the U-shaped portion ofthe rod into position upon the float whereby, as will be readily seen,the float is freely revolved, so that upon coming in contact with thewalls of the tank it will be free to rotate during its upward anddownward movements. This mode of connection, it will be observed,provides a support which may be fastened to the float without impairingits rotary movement and also without the necessity of providing holes inthe walls of the float.

I claim as my invention: r

1. A hollow air-tight'float made of a fired vitreous material and freeof any opening or core through any of its walls.

2. A hollow imperforate clay float free"o f any'opening or core throughany of its walls.

- 3. float comprising a hollow, integral, imperforate, air-tight, firedclay member having integral portions for the attachment of a supportingmember. I

4. Afloat comprising a hollow, integral, imperforate, air-tight, firedclay member having opposed recesses in its walls for attachmentof asupporting member.

5. A float comprising a hollow, integral, imperforate air-tight, moldedand fired clay member having molded portions for the attachment of asupporting member.

6. A float comprising a hollow, imperforate air-tight, integral moldedand fired clay member having a pair of opposed molded recesses for theattachment of a supportin member.

A hollow, imperforate float, and means for supporting the samecomprising a rod having resilient clamping portions to engage; theopposite sides of saidfloat without passing through the walls thereof.

8. A hollow, imperforate float, and means for supporting the samecomprising a rodi bent to partly encircle said float and having?resilient clamping portions adapted to engage opposite sides of saidfloat without l passing through the walls thereof.

9. A "hollow, integral, imperforate airposedlmolded recesses in sides,and supporting means therefor comprlsmg a rod bent to partly encirclesaid float and form a resilient clamping portion provided withprojections extending into the recesses of said float.

, 10. A supporting member for a float of the class described, comprisinga rod having a portion bent to form a U-shaped portion and a pair ofprojections adapted to engage a float, said rod having a portion thereofbent upon itself to form one of said projections.

. 11. A hollow, imperfora'te air-tight, integral, molded and fired clayfloat member, and a supporting member having a resilient part adapted topartly encircle and clamp said float member, one of said members havofthe other of said members.

12. A float of the class described, comprising an integral, air-tight,molded member, and supporting means comprising a rod having a partadapted to be sprung around and partly encircle said float member, oneof said members having means for receiving projecting portions of theother of said members.

13. A float of the class described, comprising an integral, air-tight,molded clay member having opposed recesses in its outer walls, and asupporting member comprising a rod having a portion bent to be sprungaround and partly encircle said float member and provided with,projections extending into the recesses of said float member, said rodhaving a part thereof bent upon itself to form one of such projections.I

' BERT O. TILDEN.

WVitnesses: v

C. A. WEED,

tight, molded and fired clay float having op- 5 E. BOYCE.

ing means for receivingipro ecting portions

